Middleton PD applauds new dispatch

Tuesday

Aug 26, 2014 at 3:56 PM

By Kathryn O’Brientritown@wickedlocal.comWhen a Middleton resident stops into the police station late at night, he or she receives immediate attention via an automated speaker system that connects directly to the new Essex County Regional Emergency Communications Center (RECC), which is located on the other side of town.The visitor to the station simply presses a button on the box and a dispatcher responds within seconds to address the question. If assistance from an officer is requested, the dispatcher will immediately send one of the three officers on duty to the station lobby to assist.This model is the new face of police service now provided through a regional operation housed in the new dispatch building off Route 62 near the Middleton House of Correction.The total switchover from the Middleton town-run dispatch center was made to the new Essex County Regional Emergency Communications Center (RECC) in May, and Middleton Police Chief James DiGianvittorio reported that it is working just fine.The newly reorganized regional dispatch center allows Middleton police the opportunity to provide "extra coverage out on the roads" and does not require anyone to man the front desk at the station, said the chief.Before the regional dispatch system arrived, his officers staffed the front station desk through the night, but now they only man the desk until 10 p.m. each evening, said the chief.All officers have laptops in their vehicles, providing access to all information and reports." The Middleton Fire Dept. had previously handled our 911 calls, " added Chief DiGianvittorio who explained that one Middleton fire dispatcher is now a new state employee.The ultimate savings from this dispatch was seen on the fire department side of the ledger and allowed another firefighter to be added to the staff, he said."We didn’t lose any staff," confirmed the chief.Night-time services"If people come into the fortified station at night, they’ll see a camera and a phone. They can talk to the regional dispatch center on the phone and have their questions answered," he stressed.The dispatch center than calls an officer to come and meet the person at the station, if necessary.Three Middleton officers are out on the road covering our 19 square miles, said Chief DiGianvittorio who observed that the transfer to the new dispatch center is "working well".At this time the $11 million RECC complex in Middleton houses dispatch services for four other Essex County towns including Topsfield, Essex, Wenham and Amesbury. Beverly is expected to join the center sometime in the future."We have boosted our manpower and put three officers on the street and we’re able to have a supervisor as part of that team," added the chief.Topsfield dispatchSince the complete switchover to the regional dispatch in June, reactions to the new system have been mixed.When the Topsfield dispatch center was previously located on the first floor of the police station, walk-in visitors had someone to speak to at the front window to request an accident report or ask to speak to an officer. Today, a bright red phone sits in the police station lobby where visitors make requests via the phone. An officer or other staffer is then called in to handle a request for assistance.Anyone seeking information about a car accident report is directed to call a specific extension (6533) for assistance."It's been a big adjustment for the public," commented Topsfield Police Chief Evan Haglund who said that he may request the addition of another officer at the next Town Meeting since "a lot of citizens have expressed the desire for more officers."